March 5th, 2014
4 Deaths Linked to Thoratec HeartMate II LVAS
Larry Husten, PHD
Thoratec Corporation on Tuesday issued an urgent safety advisory about a serious problem with a key component of the HeartMate II LVAS system. The company said four patients had died and five had a loss of consciousness or other symptoms of hypoperfusion. The episodes occurred when patients and caregivers “experienced difficulties with the process of changing from a […]
November 27th, 2013
Physicians Report Alarming Increase in LVAD Pump Thrombosis
Larry Husten, PHD
Cardiac physicians from three top institutions report an abrupt and highly troubling increase over the last two years in the incidence of pump thrombosis in patients who have received the HeartMate II left ventricular assist device (LVAD) manufactured by Thoratec. The current investigation, published online in the New England Journal of Medicine, was initially prompted by an observed […]
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